While internships give new professionals valuable experience, Federal laws prohibit interns from doing tasks that a company would otherwise pay an employee. In California, interns are required to earn college credit in place of being paid. Since college students seek internships to be competitive for decreasing numbers of jobs, given the current economic circumstances,…
College Grads Face Difficult Job Market
Recent college grads continue to face what may be one of the most difficult job markets since the 1930’s. Not only is the job market grim for college grads, but many also begin their job search weighed down by student loan debt that cannot be forgiven, postponed indefinitely (nor done so for free).
House & Senate Approve Student Loan Interest Rate Freeze
Today, the House approved the bill to keep student loan interest rates at 3.4% for the 2012-13 school year. The Senate approved the freeze on Tuesday. President Obama has been campaigning for the continued lower rate, over the scheduled 6.8% increase, as we reported earlier this spring. See The Washington Post for more details
The “Muddy” Side of Learning
Do-it-yourself does not just refer to hours at Home Depot, then trucking all that stuff home to saw, sweat, swear and drive back to Home Depot for stuff you forgot, while your family watches from a distance–afraid of the snarls. As an educational tool, DIY refers to the blow-stuff-up, come-home-dirty-enough-so-your-mom-makes-you-change-in-the-garage, direct-your-own-project learning. You know,…
An “If” Halts UC Tuition Increase…Temporarily?
If voters approve a tax increase on November’s ballot, then the UC will freeze tuition at current amounts–$12,192. (The UC Regents discussed the possibility of a 6% tuition increase for 2012-13 at their last meeting and were expected to vote on the increase in July. That vote will not be called.) However, if voters DO…
CA Budget Affects Cal Grants for Private, Non Profit Colleges
Proposed reductions in funding for the Cal Grant program, in the current 2013 Fiscal budget plan, would reduce private, non-profit university student’s grants by 17% by 2014 to $8,056 per year. (Examples of private non-profit colleges are the University of Pacific or University of Southern California.) Current Cal Grants for private, non-profit university students are…
Maybe a Summer-Slide Is Just What the Doctor Ordered?
Annually, this is the time of year parents and teachers share concerns that students forget academic concepts, since they’re not in school several months. It’s often called, “Summer-Slide.” Yet, how much does consistency affect students’ comprehension and academic progress?
Possible Rise In Student Loan Interest Rate Could Be Postponed.
According the Wall Street Journal, “Senate leaders said Tuesday they had reached a tentative deal to keep most student-loan interest rates at 3.4% for another year, preventing the rates from doubling on Sunday and potentially resolving a contentious election-year issue.” Presidential politics again rules the day, but of course anything can happen, and sooner or later the…
Seeking to understand your purpose
Reading about the death of Ray Bradbury a few weeks ago led me again to wonder about the purpose of life. Having been alive for 47 years, one thinks this question would have been answered by now, but here I am still wondering. Maybe it is this wondering that keeps me searching for something innovative,…
“Honey, Fire Up the Chopper!”
When it’s time for kids to move to college, it might be more complex to let go than you think. A lifetime of “taxi-ing” to every soccer practice and tournament in Timbucktoo, emailing teachers daily, tutoring homework, staying up late to put the clothes in the dryer ” ‘ cuz I gotta wear that shirt,…
Reading Does Not Make You a Nerd
It’s summer. Hot (read: reason to stay inside). No school (read: students have LOTS of free time, for which their parents’ intentions and their own intentions may differ). So, its the season for numerous media articles lamenting “summer slide” or students “forgetting” the academic information from the previous school year to features of popular…
Student Loan Costs Set to Rise
Note of importance regarding new student loans: According to Bloomberg news, if Congress does not act by July 1st, all new student loans will carry an interest rate of 6.8 percent versus the existing rate of 3.4 percent. For all those entering the student loan market this fall plan accordingly, for what looks like an average…
Being Special in a Sea of Special
Wow. In a time when it seems every 5 year old knows what “self-esteem” means, David McCullough Jr. reminded us of our basic human equanimity. “…even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you. ” Boy, that either fries your hide…
College Transportation Blues?
A car, insurance, gas, general maintenance for wear and tear (not to mention possible tickets) and time lost trying to find parking can be a hassle for most college students. To save money (or because of a university bans freshmen from bringing cars for their first year), students have for years chosen to rely on…
Standardized Testing: The Good, The Bad and A Hmmmm…Moment
Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, an organization committed to a fair use of standardized testing in K-12 schools and college admissions, recently spoke with Creative Marbles about assessments. Our conversation reminded me of questions I’ve been asking since I was a beginning teacher, “How do we know (i.e. grasp clearly in the mind) what another has…